Wolf Watch (The Madison Wolves Book 8) by Robin Roseau

find it immoral to consume animal products?"
    "I understand why you have a problem with factory farms. I can't say I make the same choices you do about it, but I understand it. I don't know what's wrong with eggs from free-range chickens. You didn't answer me on Saturday regarding deer herd overpopulation, either."
    "If we hadn't killed off the wolf packs and stripped so much of the forest for farmland, nature would be in balance."
    "All right," I said. I paused. "Let's continue this conversation in a minute. For now, you'll have to trust me."
    I didn't wait for an answer but I got out of the car and a moment later, she met me at the back. I popped the hatch and grabbed the waiting cooler.
    "You have a choice. Lawn chairs, blanket, or we can eat at one of the picnic tables."
    "Blanket," she said with a grin. She grabbed the waiting blanket. I set the cooler down, closed the hatch, locked everything, and then led the way into the park. Zoe scrambled to catch up.
    I already had a place picked out. It was a several minute walk from the car.
    "Where are we going?"
    "There's a quiet little place," I told her. I glanced at her. She looked at me nervously. "Don't you trust me?"
    "Sure I do," she said. There wasn't a lot of conviction behind it.
    "We could go to a restaurant," I offered again.
    "Oh, no, you went through all this work."
    I sniffed cautiously. She was giving off fear scent. I stopped and turned to her.
    "Zoe, what's wrong?"
    "Nothing," she said, and I didn't need Michaela to tell me she was lying.
    "We can go somewhere else. I was just trying to give us some privacy. I was hoping to impress you with my thoughtfulness. But if you're afraid to be out here with me, we can go somewhere else. It's another twenty minutes to the compound. We could go there. Or we can find a city park somewhere."
    She eyed me carefully, and it was incredibly clear she was, indeed, afraid to be out here with me.
    "No," she said. "Just promise me you're not a serial killer."
    "You're safe," I assured her. "You would need a secret service detail to be safer."
    She turned away and began leading the way deeper into the park. I took a few steps and caught up.
    "You're not going to tell me what you brought?"
    "Nope. Well, I brought a Frisbee. I thought we could throw it around a little."
    "I'd like that," she said. She laughed.
    "What?"
    "You're rich, right?"
    "By some standards," I said.
    "And you took me on a picnic."
    "Feeling cheated?"
    "No. Courted."
    "Good."
    "I knew there was something different about you the moment I first saw you."
    I smiled at her.
    It took another couple of minutes until we reached our destination, a little space at the edge of a small field. Zoe spread the blanket, and I set the cooler down to catch the upwind edge. Then I crawled onto the blanket, pulling her after me. I wrapped my arms around her, and she laughed as I pulled her down on top of me. I immediately caught her lips, silencing her laugh.
    It didn't take long for us to both get worked up. I wished I'd made her wear the skirt; I had to satisfy my hands by cupping her ass.
    Finally we separated, both of us panting.
    "You don't waste time," Zoe said, rolling onto her back, her head pillowed by my arm.
    "Life is short," I replied. I rolled onto my side so I was facing her, then began caressing her. She was wearing a casual knit shirt, tucked into her jeans, but I tugged it out then sent my fingers in search of almost-bare skin to play with.
    Zoe didn't stop me. Instead, she closed her eyes and appeared to be holding her breath.
    "Is this all right?" I asked quietly. She nodded.
    But then she rolled her head and opened her eyes. "I'm a little overwhelmed," she said, "but I don't want you to stop."
    "I'm not planning on us getting naked out here," I replied. But I moved my fingers further up the inside of her shirt. "Just a little worked up."
    She smiled.
    She wasn't a classic beauty, and while she was in shape, it wasn't the same sort of shape I was accustomed to.